Celebrating Culture

July 24, 2002|By Doreen Hemlock Business Writer

Standing beneath a 22-foot-high blow-up of a U.S. Marine, Capt. Ismael Cardenas proudly pointed to a sign listing the names of Hispanic Marines who have won the Medal of Honor, dating back to a rebellion in China a century ago.

"A lot of people don't realize that Hispanics have been such an integral part of the armed forces," said the 29-year-old Marine officer, his uniform pressed, badges shined, posture straight. "We're here to get that message out -- as part of our Latino recruiting."

From the U.S. military to corporate America, the Republican National Committee to Hispanic political groups, it's been a busy week in Miami Beach at the Latin Expo USA, billed as the largest trade show for the country's 38 million-plus Hispanics.

Some 200 exhibitors are taking part in the expo tied to the annual convention for Hispanic rights group National Council of La Raza.

They're courting a group that has surpassed African-Americans as the largest minority in the country, a fast-growing and diverse community with buying power estimated to top $428 billion this year, according to Miami-based Strategy Research Corp.

Employees from Goya Foods Inc., the top U.S. Hispanic food company, kept busy on Tuesday handing out samples of rice and beans, cheese-filled corn arepas and guava fruit juice, and also, spinning a wheel for expo-goers to win a chance for a $50 U.S. savings bond.

"We're here, because we believe in the goals of La Raza -- to develop the U.S. Hispanic community," said Goya spokesman Rafael Toro. "And that includes stressing the importance of savings," through an outreach program promoting U.S. savings bonds, he said.

Many big corporations were eager to lure Latino talent, so their staffs would look more like the U.S. population and customer base.

Unilever, the British-Dutch consumer products giant with $50 billion in sales a year, was seeking Hispanic managers for its U.S. foods and personal-care divisions based in New Jersey and Connecticut, said Roger Jimenez, a human resources manager.

It also sought to build consumer awareness for its varied brands at the expo, displaying a range of goods from Lipton tea to Ragu pasta sauce and handing out bags full of Q-Tips, Dove soap and other items.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest company by sales, touted its record with Latinos to recruit even more. The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer said it already ranks as the top private employer for U.S. Hispanics, with more than 97,000, and features two Latinos on its board of directors, including La Raza's national chairman.

Wal-Mart lured expo participants to its booth with live shows by Latina pop artist Nayer, a Britney Spears-style singer who performed with young dancers to the delight of teenagers attending the show.

At the booth for Ford Motor Co., meanwhile, employees handed out brochures in Spanish and English for a host of programs aimed at Latinos: scholarships for high school students, training for dealership managers and Web sites to help minority-owned firms sell to Ford.

The Greyhound bus line took a different tack, enlisting art students from Miami to produce a mural, part of a program that provides Greyhound terminals as canvases for artists to promote the diversity of Latinos.

Political groups also courted the Hispanics, considered a swing vote in Florida as well as other states.

At the National Republican Committee booth, volunteer Daisy Jimenez, a 64-year-old Cuban-American living in Miami, sat comfortably among posters of President Bush and Gov. Jeb Bush, urging support for a party she said "gives opportunities to Hispanics and to all who believe in freedom and human rights."

Government agencies offered public service campaigns too, including Spanish-language videos that instruct children how to be safe in cars, crossing streets and riding bicycles.

Milling around on Tuesday morning, holding bags with samples and brochures, Argentina-born Silvana Americo, 44, and her daughter Sofia, 14, of Miami Beach were pleased with the expo.

"I don't feel out of place here. They speak my language and are trying to reach out to Hispanics," Americo said proudly in Spanish. "I think I'll bring the rest of my family back later."

The National Council of La Raza convention concludes today at the Miami Beach Convention Center, with an awards dinner featuring El Salvador President Francisco Flores.

Doreen Hemlock can be reached at dhemlock@sun-sentinel.com or 305-810-5009.